The difference between Bruges and New Albany? It depends on Jeff Gahan's definitions of "ruining", "quality of life" and municipal impotence.

Think of Bruges, Belgium this way:

photo credit

Then there's New Albany:

Finally, this quote from a story about "quality of life" in a place where the words actually have meaning.

Tired of delivery trucks rumbling near its mythic canals, Belgium's medieval town of Bruges has approved the construction of a beer pipeline to link a five-century-old brewery to a bottling factory nearby.

The two-mile underground pipeline will link the De Halve Maan brewery in the heart of the "Venice of the North" to an industrial park where the beer will be bottled and shipped to drinkers worldwide, company director Xavier Vanneste said.

"The idea is born of environmental and quality of life concerns, and not economic ones," he said.

Bruges to build beer pipeline to stop traffic ruining locals' lives; The pipeline will link a five-century-old brewery to a bottling factory nearby (The Telegraph)

2014 Euro Reunion Tour, Day 9: Daisy!

I don't pretend to know Daisy Claeys all that well on a personal basis, although perhaps in a professional sense, "mutual admiration society" is a good way of putting it.

She is the owner and operator of 't Brugs Beertje, a specialty (entirely) Belgian beer cafe in Brugge/Bruges. My first visit was in 1995, and I remain enamored of the cafe's principled timelessness. It is impossible to overstate the influence of it in my own working world. Both Cafe Abseits in Bamberg and 't Brugs Beertje are 31 years old. My business is 27. I'm not sure what any of this means, apart from it being great to see Daisy again and to know she's doing well.

We had one day in Brugge, ending it at Daisy's (and afterward, with a superlative pot of mussels at Breydel de Coninc), and beginning it with a canal ride. Photos don't do justice to this city, but here are a few, anyway.

Diana and I have our own special spot, accessed by a 10-minute walk toward the ring road, and away from the heaviest of touristed areas. There's a wind mill at the end of it, and a green space conducive for thoughtful contemplation.

Next: Poperinge for the weekend of the triennial hop festival.